A Federal Court in Seattle Issued Additional Preliminary Injunction in Case Challenging Refugee Ban Seattle, WA– Yesterday evening, a federal court in Seattle issued a second preliminary injunction in Pacito v. Trump, finding the government’s efforts to terminate its agreements with refugee-serving agencies to be unlawful. The government attempted to terminate these agreements just one day after the court’s previous order …
Termination of Unaccompanied Children Programs Strips Vulnerable Kids of Legal Protection and Support
March 21, 2025
New York City – CWS today expressed alarm over the administration’s near-total termination of work on its Unaccompanied Children Program, halting legal services for unaccompanied immigrant children. The organization notes that this executive action immediately strips thousands of children–including infants and young children–from legal representation, forcing them to now navigate and somehow represent themselves in immigration court proceedings. “No child …
African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church Renews Commitment with CWS as a Covenant Member
March 19, 2025
Washington, D.C.—CWS today announced that the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (A.M.E. Zion) had committed to joining Church World Service as a Covenant Member. The A.M.E. Zion Church is the 15th faith-based organization to commit to Covenant Membership with CWS, together representing more than 10 million people of faith across the United States and Canada. CWS celebrates this partnership and …
Revoking Temporary Protected Status for Haitians Will Tear Apart Communities and Send Families Back to Danger
February 21, 2025
New York City–Church World Service today decries the Trump administration’s decision to revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 500,000 Haitians living in the United States. The decision – which goes into effect in August – will place Haitians who have found safety in and worked in our communities for decades at risk of deportation back to a country experiencing devastating …
CWS Challenges Suspension of Refugee Resettlement Program and Freeze of Refugee Funding
February 10, 2025
CWS Challenges Suspension of Refugee Resettlement Program and Freeze of Refugee Funding Lawsuit Was Filed in Federal District Court in Seattle on Behalf of Impacted Refugees and Faith Based Refugee-Serving Agencies (Seattle, WA) – Today, three national and local faith-based refugee-serving agencies and nine individuals filed Pacito v. Trump, the first lawsuit challenging President Trump’s Executive Order (EO) suspending the …
Executive Actions Target Refugees, Cut Off Access to Life-Saving Programs
February 4, 2025
CWS Furloughs Staff to Maintain Capacity to Serve Vulnerable Clients Washington, D.C.— CWS today expressed deep concern and alarm over the administration’s recent actions severely limiting the ability of the organization to continue to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance to refugees and other vulnerable families. Since January 20th, the Trump Administration has taken action after action–including severely limiting access to federal …
Halt of Foreign Assistance Funding is an Abdication of American Leadership and Values
January 25, 2025
Washington, D.C.—CWS today expressed alarm and disappointment in response to the abrupt and sweeping freeze of funding for U.S. foreign assistance, which will cause immediate harm to millions of people who are served by these vital programs around the world. This includes funding for critical services provided to refugees resettled to the United States, as well as humanitarian assistance for …
Church World Service Marks the Inauguration of President Trump to his Second Term
January 20, 2025
Washington, D.C.—Church World Service today marked the inauguration of Donald J. Trump as the new President of the United States. The organization also honored the peaceful transfer of power that is a hallmark of our democracy. CWS calls on the new administration, as well as Congressional, state and local leaders to honor our nation’s legacy of standing alongside refugee and …
CWS Awarded Texas Bar Foundation Grant to Expand Digital Access for Newcomers
November 19, 2024
Houston, TX – Church World Service (CWS) is pleased to announce a new grant from the Texas Bar Foundation to improve access to legal information through education about rights and responsibilities of new Texas residents. CWS is grateful to be able to partner in this work and contribute its own decades of experience alongside the Foundation in supporting the urgent …
Following Election Results, CWS Reaffirms Commitment to Immigrant and Refugee Neighbors, Vulnerable Families Worldwide
November 6, 2024
Contact: media@cwsglobal.org Following Election Results, CWS Reaffirms Commitment to Immigrant and Refugee Neighbors, Vulnerable Families Worldwide Washington, D.C.– In response to the news that Donald Trump has been elected for another term to the office of President of the United States, Church World Service President and CEO Rick Santos issued the following statement: “As we prepare to usher in a …